Twice Upon A Time

Oh my, I didn't know that "Twice Upon A Time" would already be used for fanfics a couple of times already -.- I'm slow... Anyways, I just wanted to share with you guys a fan-fic / story that I have spent a lot of time on. My inspiration comes mainly from Queen Seon Deok, Bu Bu Jing Xin, Gong & all those other good historical dramas (: I absolutely love these kind of movies, they really touch you!

Anyways, in this story, I obviously used my favorite actors and actresses to be the main characters ..

Here is the link to my story (and I am still in the process of writing it), I couldn't find any other place but Asianfanfics to post my story so this is where I am starting. This is my first one so I'm sure you guys will find lots of mistakes -.- But yes I did try my best so please take some time to read my fanfic.

Foreword

In the Forbidden City, Princes, Princesses, and women fought to obtain the Emperor's favor and love. Many went to the extreme, pushing family aside and scheming at anyone who dared to get in their way. The most obvious rivalries happened to be the Emperor's very own children.

Growing up Crown Prince, Yongyan, had always had things his way. The Emperor loved him and he was superior to the Court Officials and other Princes and Princesses. He used his power to gain the trust and support from various Court Officials, Ministers, and other nobles. As he quickly gained their support and trust, he lost the Emperor's favor and love as his step mom, Consort Dun, gave birth to a Princess.

The Emperor was already in his 60's when Consort Dun gave birth to Princess He Xiao, thus he was overjoyed with the birth of Princess He Xiao. The Emperor quickly lost interest in the political affairs as he had his favorite high ranking official named Heshen, handle all the court affairs. He indulged himself with power and glory as he doted on Heshen and Princess He Xiao.

Growing jealous of Princess He Xiao's popularity with the commoners, court officials, and the Emperor, Crown Prince Yongyan, starts to plot various devilish schemes at Princess He Xiao, hoping she would lose the favor of the people and Emperor. Worse comes to worse as the siblings spend several years of their life fighting one another, only to lose more of what they need most.

But when love comes into play and the greed for power changes one's heart, you can only await the devastating outcomes...

The Start of Sunny Days

It was a beautiful warm day. The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly. Qiao Mei sat on the edge of the snow covered mountain cliff and watched the birds and colorful butterflies fly freely around the mountains and hills. She listened to the birds sing to one another and peacefully breathed in the beautiful ice-cold scent of flowers being carried by the wind. Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on the beautiful nature sounds. Her peaceful time alone suddenly became interrupted by the sound of laughter and horse galloping. Surprised, Qiao Mei turns her head around and realizes she is responsible for determining the winner of the horse race.

At a far distance appeared Princess He Xiao who was wearing her favorite white and peach brocade hanfu and was riding on her black Ferghana horse, which she received at birth as rewards from the Emperor. Next to her was her half-brother, Prince Yonglin, who was riding on a white horse. The both of them were smiling and laughing as they raced towards the mountain cliff. As they passed the white grass field, their horses trampled onto the hard mountain cliff. Each gallop became louder and sturdier along with the laughter from the siblings. Qiao Mei stood up and jumped onto a big rock and extended her arms out. She stared out into the open field and sees He Xiao on her right and Yonglin on her left. As the two of them got closer and closer, she closed her eyes and felt her heart start to pump louder and faster. Seeing how fast their horses were running, she was afraid they’d knock her down.

With her eyes closed, she listened to her heart beat loudly and slowly. Her breathing was slow and big, she clenched her teeth as the sound of the horses became louder and louder. In a brief moment, she feels the hands of He Xiao and Yonglin touch her hands at the same time. Qiao Mei opens her eyes; breathe a sigh of relief, smile and jumps off the rock. Not even knowing who had touched Qiao Mei’s hand first, He Xiao and Yonglin were already arguing in the back.

“It’s no doubt I touched Qiao Mei’s hand first!” shouted Yonglin walking towards Prince He Xiao. “Hmph! Of course not, when I touched Qiao Mei’s hand you were still a feet behind me!” replies He Xiao with both her hands on her hips and chin high in the air. Qiao Mei stood afar and watched them argue as she crossed her arms and laughed quietly to herself.

“Why don’t you tell them who really is the winner so they stop quarrelling?” The Emperor was behind Qiao Mei wearing his yellow silk dragon robe and had his personal horse and guards behind him. Surprised to see the Emperor, Qiao Mei immediately got onto her knees and bowed. “Greetings, Huang Shang.” He Xiao and Yonglin turns to see and immediately follows suit after hearing Qiao Mei greet the Emperor. The Emperor outrageously laughed and in a deep voice he gives them the cue to rise.

The Emperor walked towards He Xiao and Yonglin and tells them both of them were impressive. “It’s wonderful seeing my children fool around with one another.” Embarrassed Yonglin gets on his knees. “Please forgive us for being immature.” Seeing that He Xiao was still standing, he quickly tugs at her hanfu. Finally getting the hint, He Xiao embarrassingly starts to bow. “Eh, I didn’t mean it like that.” The Emperor quickly stops He Xiao from bowing and helps Yonglin up. “I am happy to see that my children are getting along well despite having different moms. Both of you are talented and possess wonderful horse riding skills.” Flustered, Yonglin crosses his fists and thanks the Emperor for the compliment.

The Emperor smiles at them and walks back to his horse and jumps on. “Back in the days when I was still young, I was well known for my horse riding skills. Even though I’m not young no more, seeing how happy you two were racing, I want to relive the childhood memories I had. Come, let me race with you two back to the palace!” The Emperor shouted loudly and whipped his horse to get a head start on the race. He Xiao and Yonglin looked at each with big smiles and quickly followed the Emperor with their horses. The figures of the three became smaller and smaller as Qiao Mei and the Emperor’s guards watched from behind.